Category: Regency Era (1811-1820)

The Regency in Great Britain was a period when King George III was deemed unfit to rule and his son ruled as his proxy as Prince Regent. On the death of George III in 1820, the Prince Regent became George IV. The term Regency can refer to various stretches of time; some are longer than the decade of the formal Regency which lasted from 1811–1820.
Preceded by: Georgian era
Followed by: Victorian era
Monarch: George III, George IV, William IV

A Scoundrel’s Secret by Jane Charles

On By TracyIn Author Collaboration Series, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

A Scoundrel's Secret (Revenge of the Wallflowers, book 16)A Scoundrel’s Secret by Jane Charles

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Revenge of the Wallflowers, #16 & The Knight Family, #3

Release Date: June 18, 2024

Once upon a time, Miss Carina Leonelli’s life was good, she was the daughter of an Italian Barone and attended a girl’s school where she met her best friend, Lady Gaia Evans. But then tragedy struck, and a scandal left Carina with no family to support her. Gaia’s mother, the Marchioness of Dargate hired her to be Gaia’s companion, a position she kept even after Gaia married and became the Marchioness of Lydell, it is a position she believes she will keep for years, even though Gaia continues to treat her like an equal and hopes she will find a love of her own. But Carina doesn’t feel worthy of a society marriage and as a servant of sorts, knows that marriage to a fellow servant, like coachman Felix Knight, won’t get her a home of her own. Besides, Felix is a rake and not a man she can take seriously, no matter how handsome and charming he seems. But when Felix is injured and she fears he is dying, she finally admits her feelings for him, not that it will change anything. But with a little help from her friends, HEA may be within reach, until long kept secrets come out and everything changes!

Felix Knight is the second son of Viscount Ormonde and the grandson of the Earl of Chedworth, two and a half years ago, his grandfather made a demand that Felix refused to bow to and resulted in Felix leaving home and cutting himself off from his family. He met and befriended the newly minted Marquess of Lydell who had been born and raised in America, he helped Lydell acclimate into London society and accepted his offer of employment, as his coachman, stable master and even sometimes footman. Felix never lied about his name, but neither did he offer information about his family and with the exception of Lydell’s new brother-in-law, it doesn’t seem like anyone knows who he is, which is perfect for hiding from his grandfather and his outrageous demands. At least it was until he feel in love with Carina and is desperate to convince her that they could marry and that they could be happy all while keeping his secrets. But he should have known that secrets have a way of coming out at the worst possible moment and secrets like his could easily crush new love.

As always, this was a well-written, nicely-paced story filled with wonderful characters. This book is a slow-burning romance, with no-steam love scenes, secrets, hidden identities, surprising revelations, fake courtships, matchmaking friends, a duel, heartache, revenge, reunions and finally a HEA that didn’t seem possible as well as a very sweet epilogue. This book is part of a series, but can easily be read as a standalone (be sure to read the author’s notes!). I am looking forward to the next book about the Knight Family!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *

The Question of the Wedding Pearls by Patricia Rice

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

The Question of the Wedding Pearls (Gravesyde Priory Mysteries #4)Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Gravesyde Priory Mystery #4
Publication Date: 7/11/24
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 291

I was surprised to look at the title and see this was only the fourth book in the series. Not because it seems to have dragged on, but because so many interesting, exciting, and romantic things have already happened. Have you read the first three books? If not, you should if you want to really be immersed in the dynamic of the story and the relationships between all the characters. The author does very nicely include a section in the front of the book called The History of Wycliffe Manor which spells out a lot of it.

While the tired, worn-down manor isn’t exactly bursting at the seams (yet), there are already more guests and residents than there are staff to serve them or furniture to give them comfort. With two weddings and a valuable book auction in the immediate future, even more guests are expected. What they really didn’t need was two sets of unexpected and uninvited guests. What are they up to? They are all of French ancestry, are they spying now that Napoleon has broken free and is back in France?

Another thing they didn’t need was to discover a murder victim. Such a young man! What was he doing on a trail almost no one knew about – not even the local villagers? Who is he? There is nothing to identify him. How can they investigate if they don’t even have a place to start? When they do finally identify him, it is a shock, and some will dearly mourn his passing. At least they knew the identity of the second victim – yes, there was another murder. The two victims couldn’t possibly be related – except through the murderer. Oh! No! The murderer has to be someone within the Manor because there is no way a stranger could have gotten to the second victim. Hunt and Jack are practically panicking because their main concern is keeping Clare and Elsa safe – and finding the murderer.

While they search for the murderer, there is also the code to decipher, the treasure to find, weddings to plan, and solving the mystery of the pearls. Yes, folks, the manor is a beehive of activity and filled with the most disparate group of individuals you may ever meet. They are all interesting, fun, intelligent, eccentric, and have their own agenda – but they all also fully intend to work together to make the manor their home. I can hardly wait to see what happens next.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.